Thursday, 23 August 2018

THE DE LA CHEROIS-CROMMELINS, OF CARROWDORE CASTLE, OWNED 1,082 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The CROMELLINS, though established in France and possessed of considerable property at Armancourt, Picardy, for more than a century before the revocation of the edict of Nantes, came originally from the Low Countries.

ARMAND CROMMELIN resided on his estate, near Kortrijk (Courtrai) in the reign of CHARLES V; but in consequence of the persecutions of the Protestants by the Duke of Alba, in the reign of PHILIP II, his family left, and his son, JEAN, settled at Saint-Quentin, and became Seigneur de Camas, through his marriage with Marie, daughter of Jacques de Semery,

In 1698, Louis, with two brothers and three sisters, and several cousins and members of his family, "was induced" by WILLIAM III to go over to Ulster, where they settled at Lisburn, County Antrim, bringing with them a number of tradesmen and a capital of £20,000 (in excess of £4 million today) with which they established the linen manufacture, which was adopted by the inhabitants, and flourished thereafter.

In consideration of Louis having spent £10,000 on its establishment, His Majesty, who was greatly interested in its success, conferred a pension of £200 a year on his son, on whose early death it was discontinued.

Mr Crommelin wedded, in 1680, his cousin Anne, daughter of Samuel Crommelin; left France in 1685, and settling first at Amsterdam, came to Lisburn in 1698.

He had issue, one son and a daughter: Louis, died at Lisburn, 1711, unm, aged 28; and Magdaleine.

2. Samuel, twice married and left four sons, of whom all male issue became extinct.

3. William, wedded Miss Butler, of the Ormonde family, and had a son, Louis, who died unmarried, and a daughter.

MARIE CROMMELIN, wedded firstly, Isaac Testard de Blois; and secondly, Nicholas de la Cherois, Major, and afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel in the regiment of Comte de Marton, under WILLIAM III, and had issue,

SAMUEL, of whom presently;Madeleine, m her cousin, Daniel Crommelin.

She died in 1706, and was succeeded by her son,SAMUEL DE LA CHEROIS (1700-84), who married, in 1731, Mlle. Sarah Cormiére, and had issue,

Daniel;Nicholas, 1737-1829;SAMUEL, of whom presently;Judith.

The third son,

SAMUEL DE LA CHEROIS (1744-1816), assumed, in compliance of the will of his cousin, Nicholas Crommelin, of Lisburn, the additional surname of CROMMELIN.

He espoused, in 1776, Maria, only daughter of the Rev Dr Thomas Dobbs, of Trinity College, Dublin (brother of Conway Dobbs, of Castle Dobbs, County Antrim), and had issue,

CARROWDORE CASTLE, near Donaghadee, County Down, was built in 1818-20 by Nicholas de La Cherois-Crommelin.

This three-storey rubble and
brick Georgian-Gothic house was built in a rustic gothic style, with
castellations, corner turrets and large projecting tower.

The interior
is still largely intact, though some rooms to the rear of the house have been
altered in recent times and a large, modern, glazed sun-room has
also been added.

The three-storey tower to the south has a Jacobean-Gothic feel and
appears to be intact; whilst the similar (but much smaller)
three-storey gazebo to the east of the house is now in a ruinous
condition.

There is some very graceful Gothic plasterwork fretting on the hall ceiling.

Prior to 1818 there had been a farmhouse on the site which Nicholas de la Cherois's father had used only occasionally, usually as a place to collect rents from his tenants and as a summer residence.

After its completion in 1820, Carrowdore Castle served as Nicholas’s primary residence until 1847, when pressing financial concerns forced him to live at Cushendun, County Antrim, and rent the house to his son Samuel.

The de la Cherois-Crommelin male line came to an end with the death of Samuel’s son, Frederick, in 1902.

The contents of the house were sold the same year and the building itself was leased to a number of tenants before being sold to a Mr McNeill in 1931.

The present owners acquired Carrowdore Castle in 1972 and renovated some of the rooms to the rear, as well as adding the large sun room extension.

About 1992, a new dwelling was constructed a short distance to the south-west.

Since that time Carrowdore Castle has remained largely vacant, save for two ground floor rooms to the south-east which are currently leased to Strangford College.

The outbuildings to the south have been renovated recently and now appear to be used as holiday homes.

Parkland surrounds the house and small blocks of woodland, with a shelter belt beyond.

There is a well planted and manicured ornamental garden to the east of the house, which slopes to a lake.

A stone gazebo terminates the castle battlements.

The layout of the parkland has changed remarkably little from the early 19th century, except for the presence of a modern mansion built south-west of the old house.

The main entrance gate lodge, a surviving one of two gate lodges, is contemporary with the old house and is notable for a castellated parapet and towers, with a pair of dwellings, which have now been largely demolished.

Carrowdore Castle is the home of Dr Francis Jennings DSc, brother of Shamus Jennings CBE.

Before Jennings bought the castle in the early 70s it was owned by Mr James Kennedy whose family lived there for several years. Mr Jennings started in an electrical shop on Bloomfield Ave. Belfast before contracts led to success and creation of Rotary

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